Garment having a fixed cuff

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a garment that covers at least part of a wearer&#39;s lower body, and includes a cuff along its bottom edge that may be affixed in place on the outside of the garment such that the wearer may display the cuff without the need to repeatedly fold it and hold it in place. Cuffs provide the wearer with a simple means of making a fashion statement by accentuating the bottom of the garment and thereby distinguishing an otherwise ordinary looking skirt. The garment may be made by materials known in the art such as denim which may be easily folded into a cuff, and which provides an aesthetically pleasing contrast by revealing the inner lighter side of the material exposed by the cuff against the darker exterior denim surface.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/591,881, filed Jul. 29, 2004, incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed inventions relate to the art of design and manufacture of garments and apparel generally and, more particularly, to a garment that covers at least part of a wearer's lower body, and is cuffed along its bottom edge.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Prior to the present invention, cuffs have sometimes been used to enhance the appearance of other lower body garments such as jeans or slacks, by providing an upward fold of the bottom hem, thereby exposing the interior of the fabric. This provides an extra aesthetic effect or fashion statement not present with regular pants. However, such a statement has not been available for skirts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention disclosed herein relates to a garment that covers at least part of a wearer's lower body, and includes a cuff that is fixed to the garment itself. The cuff adds a finishing touch for a fashionable look. Attaching the cuff to the garment itself enables the cuff to stay in place on the outside of the garment.

Stated generally, the disclosed invention enables a person referred to herein as a “wearer” or a “user” to wear a garment that covers at least part of a wearer's lower body, and that includes a cuff that stays in place. Additionally, the invention allows the wearer to wear and to remove the garment without having to recuff it, although voluntary recuffing may be possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a frontal view of a garment with a fixed cuff and a button and zipper in the front center of the garment according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a frontal view of a garment with a fixed double cuff and a button and zipper on the back center of the garment according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a right elevational view of a garment with a fixed cuff and a zipper on the left side of the garment according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a left elevational view of a garment with a fixed double cuff and a button and zipper on the front center of the garment according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a frontal view of a garment with a cuff fixed by buttons, as well as extra buttons to change the length of the cuff according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a frontal view of a garment with a fixed cuff, wherein the garment is a dress, according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention allows a wearer of a garment that covers at least part of a wearer's lower body, such as a skirt, to emulate the cuffed effect previously associated with pants on a skirt or skirt-like garment. This provides the aesthetic effect of a cuff, traditionally associated with garments like pants, on a skirt. Attaching the cuff to the skirt avoids the need to constantly refold an unfixed cuff as one would need to do with an ordinary skirt lacking a means to hold a cuff in place. Although the invention is described herein primarily in connection with a skirt, it will be noted that the concept of a “skirt” as used herein may refer to other garments or portions thereof that cover at least part of a wearer's lower body, such as dresses, gowns, skirt-jumpers, skirt-overalls and kilts.

A wearer of a garment that includes at least a skirt who desired to wear the skirt with a cuff to achieve the fashionable appearance that such a combination provides would be faced with a plurality of problems. The cuff in the skirt often comes undone, necessitating recuffing the skirt. Moreover, the removal of the skirt often tends to cause the cuff to come undone. The wearer is often not aware of this, such that others consider the wearer to be an unkempt person. Additionally, the cuff is often uneven, creating discomfort as well as an untidy appearance.

The cuff on the present invention is sewed or otherwise held to the exterior of the garment, so it may be a permanent fixture of the garment. Folding the hem of a skirt into a cuff as one might with an ordinary pair of pants is uncommon, and may present difficulty without a means to secure or fasten the cuff in place. Skirts are less easily cuffed than pants because with skirts both legs would be contained within the perimeter of one cuff, and as the legs move in opposing directions during walking or other movement the cuff is more likely to be loosened and then come undone. This invention surmounts that difficulty by providing a cuff that is secured to the garment and will not unfold during movement. This enables the wearer to retain the cuff in place.

FIG. 1 illustrates a frontal view of a garment with a fixed cuff and a button and zipper 103 in the front center of the garment according to an embodiment of the invention. The exterior of the skirt is indicated by 105. The interior of the skirt 101 is visible while the skirt is being worn, because the skirt is cuffed. The cuff is fixed to the skirt along the bottom edge of the skirt 102.

The skirt in FIG. 1 has the bottom few inches cuffed and fixed to the skirt itself. To create the fixed cuff, part of the bottom of an ordinary skirt (e.g., a few inches) may be rolled up so that the interior of the skirt may show (101), in the same way that the inside of jeans, pants or slacks are shown when they are cuffed. The cuff may be sewed to the skirt along the bottom edge (102). Having the cuff sewed to the skirt may aid in keeping the cuff in place while the skirt is worn. The cuff may also be held in place by other fastening means such as buttons or hooks that keep the cuff affixed to the exterior of the skirt.

The cuff may involve any number of inches of the bottom of the skirt. The number of inches may depend on the designer's preference. The final length of skirt desired may also determine the number of inches of skirt that is cuffed. If the cuff is held in place by removable fasteners such as buttons or hooks, the length of the cuff may be altered depending on the locations of the buttons or hooks.

More details regarding altering the length of the cuff may be found in connection with FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a frontal view of a garment with a cuff fixed by a first set of buttons 501. The length of the cuff may be altered by affixing the cuff using a second set of buttons 502 instead. It will be noted that any number of suitable buttons may be used in each set of buttons, and any number of suitable sets of buttons may be used.

FIG. 2 is a frontal view of a garment with a fixed double cuff and a button and zipper 202 on the back center of the garment according to an embodiment of the invention. The interior of the skirt 201 is visible while the skirt is being worn, because the skirt is double cuffed.

A double cuff may be created so that the bottom edge does not show (see FIG. 2). Such a double cuff may be sewed to the skirt along the upper edge of the cuff 203. To get the desired final length of skirt, the length of the double cuff can also vary.

In one embodiment, the skirt may be cuffed either once or more than once, if the means by which the cuff is fixed to the skirt is removable, such as buttons. Thus, a skirt may be cuffed more than once, and the cuff may be fixed to the skirt using buttons, which may be unbuttoned, leaving the skirt to be cuffed fewer times, as desired.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention may include a garment formed of a denim material. Denim garments may be more easily folded into the shape of a cuff. A denim garment may retain the cuff shape and may also provide a fashionable contrast between the exposed interior side of the fabric on the cuff and the exterior of the rest of the garment. This aesthetic effect is often achieved with denim pants or jeans but this invention may allow the wearer to accomplish the same with a skirt. Unlike ordinary jeans, the wearer of the invention may not have to refold the cuff to retain this appearance, as the cuff may be affixed to the exterior of the garment.

The skirt may be made of a dark denim that is lighter on the inside. Such a skirt may have a strong contrast in color between the exterior of the skirt and the interior of the skirt that is exposed by the cuff. By having a skirt made of a light denim that is similar in shade on the exterior and interior, the contrast in color between the exterior of the skirt and the interior of the skirt exposed by the cuff may not be as strong, but it is still a style that may be desired.

However, similar embodiments of the present invention may include skirts made from materials other than denim including, but not limited to, cotton, wool, polyester, leather, suede, linen, corduroy or materials comprising other synthetic blended fabrics. The skirt described in the present invention may also be part of a larger ensemble like a suit or uniform.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the skirt can have a button and zipper in the front or back center of the skirt (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 4), or it can have a zipper on either side (see FIG. 3). FIG. 3 is a right elevational view of a garment with a fixed cuff and a zipper 303 on the left side of the garment according to an embodiment of the invention. The interior of the skirt 301 is visible while the skirt is being worn, because the skirt is cuffed. The cuff may be sewed to the skirt along the original bottom edge of the skirt 302.

FIG. 4 is a left elevational view of a garment with a fixed double cuff and a button and zipper 402 on the front center of the garment according to an embodiment of the invention. The interior of the skirt 401 is visible while the skirt is being worn, because the skirt is double cuffed.

FIG. 6 is a frontal view of a garment with a fixed cuff according to an embodiment of the invention. The garment is a dress. The interior of the dress 601 is visible while the dress is being worn, because the dress is cuffed.

Although the embodiments of the invention detailed throughout the present application are articulated generally for garments that include at least a skirt, other embodiments of the inventions may also include other skirt-like apparel including but not limited to gowns, dresses, skirt-jumpers, skirt-overalls and kilts.

From the foregoing description of embodiments of the invention, other embodiments will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. The invention is described herein for purposes of illustration and not of limitation, and the scope of the invention is limited only by the claims that follow. 

1. A garment that covers at least part of a wearer's lower body, wherein: both legs of the wearer are surrounded by a single sleeve of the garment; and a bottom edge of the sleeve is folded upward onto an exterior of the garment and affixed to the exterior, forming a cuff that is substantially parallel to the bottom edge.
 2. The garment according to claim 1 wherein the cuff is affixed to the exterior of the garment by stitching.
 3. The garment according to claim 1 wherein the cuff is affixed to the exterior of the garment by sewing.
 4. The garment according to claim 1 wherein the cuff is affixed to the exterior of the garment by buttons.
 5. The garment according to claim 4 wherein: multiple buttons or sets of buttons exist for the affixing of the cuff to the exterior of the garment; and the wearer may vary the length of the cuff by choosing a specific button or set of buttons for affixing the cuff to the exterior of the garment.
 6. The garment according to claim 1 wherein the cuff is affixed to the exterior of the garment by fasteners.
 7. The garment according to claim 6 wherein: multiple fasteners or sets of fasteners exist for the affixing of the cuff to the exterior of the garment; and the wearer may vary the length of the cuff by choosing a specific fastener or set of fasteners for affixing the cuff to the exterior of the garment.
 8. The garment according to claim 1 wherein the garment is formed of at least one of a denim material, a cotton material, a wool material, a polyester material, a leather material, a suede material, a linen material, a corduroy material and materials comprising synthetic blended fabrics.
 9. The garment according to claim 1 wherein the cuff comprises one fold such that the bottom edge of the garment is visible on the exterior of the garment.
 10. The garment according to claim 1 wherein the cuff comprises more than one fold such that the bottom edge of the garment is not visible on the exterior of the garment.
 11. The garment according to claim 1 wherein the garment comprises a skirt.
 12. The garment according to claim 11 wherein the skirt comprises a mini-skirt.
 13. The garment according to claim 11 wherein the skirt comprises a denim skirt.
 14. The garment according to claim 11 wherein the skirt comprises a denim mini-skirt.
 15. The garment according to claim 1 wherein the garment comprises one of the following: a dress, a gown, a skirt-jumper, skirt-overalls and a kilt.
 16. An outfit wherein the outfit comprises the garment according to claim 1 and a garment that covers at least part of a wearer's upper body.
 17. A method of forming a cuff on a garment that covers at least half of a wearer's lower body, the method comprising: folding a bottom edge of the garment upward onto an exterior of the garment; and affixing the folded bottom edge to the exterior of the garment.
 18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the garment comprises one of the following: a skirt, a mini-skirt, a denim skirt, a denim mini-skirt, a dress, a gown, a skirt-jumper, skirt-overalls and a kilt.
 19. A garment that covers at least part of a wearer's lower body, the garment comprising: a garment material; and at least one fastener on the garment material for attaching a bottom edge of the garment to an exterior of the garment material.
 20. The garment according to claim 19 wherein the garment comprises one of the following: a skirt, a mini-skirt, a denim skirt, a denim mini-skirt, a dress, a gown, a skirt-jumper, skirt-overalls and a kilt. 